1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mounting fixture for a hair dryer, and more particularly to a mounting fixture for mounting a hand-held hair dryer on a support member such as a stand enabling hands-free use of the hand-held hair dryer.
2. Related Art
Portable, hand-held electric hair dryers are known. Such hair dryers have a barrel portion from which warm air exits. The operator holds the hair dryer by a handle portion oriented in a perpendicular direction with respect to the barrel portion. The operator directs the barrel portion toward the damp hair so that the warm air impinges on it. Thus, one hand of the operator must be occupied by holding the hair dryer during its use.
Large, commercial hair dryers fixed to stands are also known. Such hair dryers are typically found in the studios of professional hair stylists. These commercial hair dryers typically have a housing with a concave inner surface which is open at its bottom. The person whose hair is to be dried typically sits in a chair and the hair dryer is positioned so that the hair dryer covers a substantial portion of the person's head so that the person's hair is adjacent to the concave inner surface. The support structure of the hair dryer maintains the hair dryer in this position without the hair dryer being held by the stylist.
When in use, the inner surface of the commercial hair dryer is ordinarily spaced sufficiently close to the person's head to prevent access to the hair being dried by either the hair stylist or the person. Thus, styling of the person's hair, while it is being dried by large, commercial hair dryers, is very difficult.
The commercial hair dryers are usually large and heavy, and are intended to remain stationary, except for the relatively small movements required to position the hair dryer over a person's head. Commercial hair dryers are not compact or portable. As a result, such hair dryers ordinarily cannot be carried in a suitcase, or stored on the shelf of a bathroom cabinet, in the manner of a hand-held hair dryer.